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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23250661">fold</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account'>orphan_account</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Neopets</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Character Turned Into a Ghost, Complicated Relationships, Feelings, Grief/Mourning, Light Angst, M/M, Poker, What does this even count as? Enemies to friends? Enemies to lovers? IDK IDK, does it count as mourning if hes still around</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 16:06:59</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,343</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23250661</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Magax visits Hubrid after he learns of his death. They work through some things.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Magax &amp; Hubrid Nox, Magax/Hubrid Nox</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>fold</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>oh my god im writing neopets fanfic...</p><p>well its not my fault these two are such an interesting duo. i blame the advent calendar.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Four nines and a six.</p><p>Not perfect, but it had to be better than whatever everyone else at the table had. The chances of someone having a straight flush at this point were low, especially judging by the faces around the table.</p><p>After another round it was time to show their cards and as guessed, Hubrid had won the pot.</p><p>He laughed an evil laugh over the surrounding groans of annoyance. "Who wants to go again?" Hubrid asked and, incredibly, everyone stayed. He grinned. He was looking forward to a prosperous night.</p><p>The cards were gathered and almost dealt when a new player sat at the table.</p><p>And with the player's arrival, the rest of the table left. They looked warily at each other as they neatly left the deck and chips for Hubrid. Whether they were leaving in case of a fight, or simply to avoid the tension, he couldn't tell.</p><p>Hubrid sighed as he watched them wander to different areas of the bar, but still keeping eyes on the poker table. "Magax, look what you've done. I was about to have a perfectly good game."</p><p>Magax rolled his eyes. "You mean you were about to swindle everyone out of their money?"</p><p>Hubrid scowled. "And what if I was? When it comes to this, I play fair. You know that."</p><p>"I do, unfortunately." He paused. "Let's see if I can beat you this time?"</p><p>An offer he couldn't refuse. Hubrid began dealing each others' cards. He didn't love playing with only two people, but he could always make an exception.</p><p>"What are you really here for, Magax?" He asked, staring intensely at his cards. "To gloat about my demise? To <em>thwart</em> me?" He had no pairs and only a couple matching suits.</p><p>"No, I just came to…" He moved his cards around with a complicated look. "I wanted to ask about it." He put in a couple chips.</p><p>"Ask?" He raised the bet. "It's not a secret. I was killed by Xandra because she wanted to use my face for her idiotic plot. That's all there is."</p><p>"Yeah, I got that part." He thought for a moment, picking his words carefully. "I guess I just wanted to know if that's how you would have wanted to go." Magax raised further. "If you had the choice."</p><p>"Of course not. Offed by some faerie's pet? Someone who didn't even give me a proper fight? Please."</p><p>Magax winced at how he spoke towards the faeries but chose to let it go. "How would you rather have died?"</p><p>"Don't be so nosey, Magax."</p><p>They discarded their cards. Magax only let go of one, while Hubrid only kept the two cards that were matching suits. They picked up their new cards and arranged them before returning to betting. Magax looked displeased.</p><p>Hubrid threw in some more chips. "If you must know, it obviously would've been you." How much had he thrown in? It didn't matter. The money didn't matter. "You should've been the one to kill me."</p><p>Magax raised. "What makes you say that?"</p><p>"As if it isn't obvious. It's been your new life goal, hasn't it? l don't know why you're having me spell it out to you."</p><p>They both bet silently before Hubrid finally broke again. "Having my last battle with my  archnemesis is all I can wish for, yes? How lucky would I have been to have met my demise at the hands of someone with such strength." He stopped. "I would've been proud."</p><p>He glanced across the table and Magax had a pained look on his face.</p><p>"If you really hated me you would love to know I never got the satisfaction of killing you."</p><p>Hubrid tone suddenly turned morose. "Perhaps, in that scenario."</p><p>The two of them looked through their cards with a gnawing sadness. It was time to end this.</p><p>They laid their cards out. Magax had two pairs and Hubrid had a flush.</p><p>"You win." Magax said. </p><p>"Of course I did." With two people it was really only a game of luck, however when it came to gambling, luck is something Hubrid tended to have.</p><p>They could play the rest of their rounds, but there was no reason to. And as much as Hu rid loved to see the other customers get antsy, he knew Magax didn't want to stay.</p><p>-</p><p>"Where are you taking us?"</p><p>"I wanted to see where you were buried. I haven't gotten the chance to visit your grave yet," Magax said.</p><p>"To pay respects? I'm right here, you know." Hubrid huffed and Magax ignored him.</p><p>They entered the cemetery and it was feeling way more homely than it should. Perhaps that's just what happens when you spent so much time in such a place. As he walked, he thought he saw other ghosts from the corner of his eye, but they seemed to dissipate at the sight of Hubrid Nox.</p><p>He looked around. It was larger than he remembered, and it was hard to distinguish the graves in the darkness. After a few minutes of walking and squinting, Hubrid rolled his eyes.</p><p>"I can find it, wait here," he said, and was gone with a magical pop.</p><p>Startled by the sudden disappearance, Magax looked around to find him. After a few minutes of him missing, he panicked a bit. "Hubrid!?" He shouted, only for the ghost to appear moments later, some fifty feet away.</p><p>Hubrid called him over to the grave. As Magax approached, he saw it was a regular headstone with an engraving of his face, as well as the basic full name and birth and death dates.</p><p>"I didn't exactly have a will planned out yet, so they improvised," Hubrid said. "It's not terrible, but it's certainly not to my taste."</p><p>Magax was well aware his taste was more extravagant. "I'll make you a better one, then."</p><p>Hubrid didn't reply. Magax kneeled down and ran a thumb over the letters on the headstone. Hubrid couldn't tell what he was thinking, but he was sure it was something horribly sentimental.</p><p>Hubrid leaned on his own headstone. "You're really ruining the archenemies arrangement with all your moping over me."</p><p>That seemed to shake him out of it and he growled. "Sorry, I'll make sure to bring some spray paint next time. Knock it over while I'm at it."</p><p>Hubrid humorously wondered if this would be before or after he made a new headstone. "That's the spirit!" He laughed.</p><p>Magax groaned at the awful pun, which only amused Hubrid further. He got up and gave the grave a final lookover.</p><p>How strange it was to think that someone so larger than life was beneath him, in the ground. "It didn't hurt too much, did it?" He asked.</p><p>"Hm. Not particularly. It was over before I knew what was happening. And then I was 'alive' again as a ghost, so I was more furious than anything else."</p><p>Magax nodded. He was glad he didn't suffer. Even in his worst anger, he had never wanted Hubrid to die painfully. </p><p>"One more thing," Magax started. "You're not going anywhere, are you?"</p><p>He hummed. "Well, I didn't have any <em>other</em> plans this evening—"</p><p>"<em>Hubrid.</em>"</p><p>Hubrid chuckled again and placed a ghostly hand on his shoulder. "Not even death could save you from me, my dear."</p><p>Of course not. Magax smirked. It was funny how someone could find comfort in a threat.</p><p>He accepted that answer and began his way back to the entrance. "So, does being a ghost change your magical abilities or…?"</p><p>Hubrid lit up (literally and figuratively). "It's actually quite fascinating! The way your magic reacts to no longer being corporeal can affect your casting in a number of different ways. For example I've found that if you try a more offensive spell that requires…" And with that he trailed off, accounting his failures and successes to adjusting to his new form.</p><p>At some point they would get back to, well, something. Magax wasn't quite sure what was happening with them. But, for now, he was enjoying the peace.</p>
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